Arunachal Geography

Climate varies across Arunachal in proportion to the altitude, the weather of Arunachal Pradesh differs though overall it has a pleasant and temperate climate.The high altitude areas near the Himalayas observe tundra (or alpine) climate, while those at lesser elevation enjoy a temperate weather.

The sea-level areas bordering Assam experience sub-tropical climate. The climate of Arunachal is governed by the Himalayan system and the altitudinal differences. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayan province.

The entire territory forms a complex hill system with varying elevations ranging from 50m in the foot-hills and gradually ascending to about 7,000m, traversed throughout by a number of rivers and rivulets.

In the Upper Himalayas, where elevation is really high, alpine or tundra type of weather is experienced while temperate climate is enjoyed in the middle Himalayas.

However, in areas at sea level base and far removed from the Himalayan range, people find the climate to be humid and sub-tropical. These plains have warm summers and pleasant winters. It receives heavy showers of about 200-400 cm between the months of May and September.

Warm summer, cold winter

The summer season begins in March and extends till August in the plains. Between June and August the temperature sometimes goes up to 40 to 42 degree Celsius.

During summers, the maximum temperature recorded in the foothills is 40 degree Celsius. However, the average temperature during winters varies from 15 to 21 degree Celsius.

Winters officially arrive in November and prevail till the month of February. The high altitude regions become very cold during winters.

Arunachal Pradesh is best to visit during the months of October-March. The higher regions witness snowfall during winter. The snowfall and the alpine climate of Arunachal Pradesh largely draw tourists from the different parts of the world to tour the upper reaches of Arunachal Pradesh.

Unique location of Arunachal

The north-eastern state shares its borders with only two Indian states – Assam in the south and Nagaland in the south-east. As regards other countries, Myanmar lies to its east, Bhutan to its west, and Tibet to its north.

The extended Himalayan ranges in the eastern part separates the state from China. Further, the ranges widen near Nagaland, and form a frontier among India and Burma in Changlang and Tirap district.

Its topography is well-defined by mountain ranges and sub-mountainous terrains, beside the northern parts. Rivers, like Brahmaputra, Kameng, Siang, Lohit, Subansiri, Tirap, etc. flow through its expanse, and provide fresh waters to the dwellers.

Climate variations a blessing

The extreme variation of climate within Arunachal has been more a blessing than disadvantage because the micro level agro climatic conditions are congenial for growth of diverse crops that suit the different climatic requirement in the same season in different agro-ecological zones.

Heterogeneous climate and soil conditions of the state are an advantage. There is a vast area suitable for temperate fruits of both high and low chilling requirements. But the major areas of the state are fit for tropical and subtropical fruits.

Apple is a major fruit of temperate areas which is a unique aspect of Arunachal among the north eastern states. On the other hand, mandarin, sweet orange and pineapple among others grow abundantly in the mid and foothill areas. The outstanding strength of the state is that its varied agro ecological zones and the farming system approach (FSA) supports growth of a large variety of crops in every season.

 

 

Arunachal Pradesh has all districts headquarter as large urban congregation. However, following are the major cities and tourist places of Arunachal Pradesh:

1. Itanagar
2. Tawang

• Ziro

1. Pasighat
2. Bomdilla
3. Bhismaknagar

• Malinithan

 

1. Itanagar:

Itanagar is the state capital. Itanagar has following place of attractions

1. Itanagar Wildlife Sanctuary,
2. The State Museum,
3. Ita Fort,
4. Ganga Lake,
5. Polo Park etc.

Itanagar Wildlife Sanctuary is a sprawling sanctuary that houses various species including langur, antelopes, Himalayan black bear, porcupines, goral and many more. The bird species is more than 400 in number and hence this place is great for birdlovers.

The gallery in State Museum has great collections that speak of the rich heritage of the tribes in the state.

Ita Fort is an ancient monument belonging to the 14th and 15th centuries.

Ganga Lake offers scenic views with the green forest and orchids around.

Polo Park is a botanical garden and it soothes our mind.

 

1. Tawang:

Tawang is a mountain town located on the north-west part of Arunachal Pradesh.Tawang has Tibet to its north, Bhutan to its southwest and mountain range of West Kameng to its east.

It is located 10000 feet above Mean Sea Level. Tawang has beautiful lakes around .The 400-year-old Tawang monastery is not only one among the oldest but it is named one among the largest Indian monasteries.

 

• Ziro

The town is home to the people of Apatani tribe, who are recognized by their facial tattoos and women who wear nose plugs. A visit to the town is trully a refreshing one as it is dotted with a number of tourist attractions such as Talley valley, ZiroPutu Shiva Linga at Kardo, Tapyo Salt, Fish Farms and so on. The charm of Ziro has made it earn the tag of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

1. Pasighat:

Pasighatis one of the oldest and important towns of Arunachal Pradesh. Settled at an elevation of 155m above the sea level, the town is famous for picturesque beauty and tranquil surrounding alluring many travelers to this place.

Pasighat boasts of a number of tourist spots including DayingEringSanctuary , which is home to wild elephants, smaller predators, deers and several migratory birds such as hornbills, storks, wild ducks and cranes.

Also, one has to cruise through river Siang by boat to reach the sanctuary; and Pangin, an exotic location where River Siyom meets River Siang.

Other major attractions of the place are KekarMonying, Komsing and Gomsi. The location doesn’t not seem to disappoint its adventure lovers too as they can indulge in exciting adventures like river rafting, angling, trekking and fishing.

 

1. Bomdilla:

A small beautiful town, Bomdilais settled at an altitude up to 8000 ft. above the sea level and is one of the most important attractions of Arunachal Pradesh. The town boasts of a number of Buddhist monasteries which are storehouse to the very culture, spirit and essence of the land.

Bomdila not only serves its visitors with its scenic charm and important places of interest, but also with several exciting adventures including hiking and trekking. The town is famous for its apple orchards and awe-inspiring views of Kameng valley and snow-capped mountains making it a wonderland for nature lovers. The lush greenery of the place makes every traveler relax like never before.

The important places of interest in Bomdila include Tibetan monasteries, Orchid research and development, ethnographic museums and craft center. VisitorsalsovisitsTawang Town around 237km away, a town with 400 years old Buddhist monastery. Bomdila is also famous for some unique buys such as Tibetan carpets, beautiful painting and thangkas exhibiting a large section of tradition of Buddhist and Tibetan culture.

 

1. Bhismaknagar:

Bhismaknagar is located near the Brahmaputra River, not very far from Assam state.

• Malinithan:

Malinithan is an archaeological site, which consists of ruins of a Hindu temple of the early medieval period on the northern bank of the Brahmaputra River in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. The archaeological studies of the ruins indicate that the temple was built with granite stones during the period of Aryan influence in the region, distinct from the other temples in the northeastern region built with bricks.Durga is believed to be the chief deity who was worshipped in the ruined temple in her Shakthi form.

 

Some of the other tourist places are Namdapha National Park, SonaiRupai Wildlife Sanctuary, Tezu, Roing etc.

 

Arunachal Pradesh having wide variations in geological structure, aquatic habitats are also distributed in variable climates in accordance with the changed altitude ranging from 100 m to 7,000 m above msl (Final report, SBSAP 2002). Therefore, fishery activities in Arunachal Pradesh are grouped accordingly in three distinct ecological zones based on land physiography and climate. These are

Lower altitude or tropical zone (covering 10% of the state’s total area)

extends up to 300 m from the mean sea level (msl) covering the foot hills and plains with warm water aqua resources bordering Assam and Nagaland i.e. lower belt fishery.

The middle altitude or subtropical zone (covering 70% of the state’s total area)

Includes area within 300-1200 m ofmsl having maximum fish diversity with both cold and warm water aqua resources of varying production level i.e. mid-altitude fishery.

The high altitude or alpine zone (covering 20% of state’s total area)

Including the areas above 1200 m of msl i.e. suited ideally for coldwater fishery.

Numbers of tributaries of five major rivers along with network of hill streams forms the drainage system of the state. The fisheries resources of Arunachal Pradesh consist of

• rivers (2000 km);
• reservoirs (160 ha);
• beels, lakes & swamps (2500 ha);
• ponds/mini barrages (250 ha) and
• low-lying areas (575 ha) (Sugunan, 2007).

48% fish production of the state is contributed by ponds & tanks followed by paddy fields (41%), beels and lakes (6%) and rivers & streams (5%).

On the other hand, fish production potential of different fisheries resources of Arunachal Pradesh are rivers (400t);

• reservoirs 6 (16t);
• beels, lakes & swamps (Capture- 1350t, Culture-2500t);
• ponds/mini barrages (3750t) and low lying paddy fields (1400t) (Sugunan, 2007).

Thus, the state has a fish production potential of 9416t. According to the year 2009 fish production records, the state has produced 2772.70 tonnes of fishes. Thus there is huge gap of 6644t between the present level fish production and the fish production potential of the state.

Development Schemes

1.Rural Aquaculture: For development excavation of new ponds through peoples participation with necessary Govt. subsidy assisted. The estimated production under this scheme varies between Rs. 7,500/- per ha. The response of the farmer is very encouraging under this programme and there is a great pressure for more assistance.

Paddy-cum-fish culture :
This also a subsidy scheme against which technical guidance towards development of Paddy plots and subsidy against inputs i.e. fish seed and TPT etc. are provided. Through this programme, Common Carp variety of fish is raised alongwith the Paddy. The programme is very popular in Apatani Plateau, Ziro in Lower SubansiriDistrict . 3.Reclamation of Beels/Lakes :           This is a programme for both in the Private and Govt. sector for Capture and Culture fisheries for production of Table fish. Under Private sector scheme fish seeds are provided. 4. Cold Water Fishery : This is a programme for introduction of exotic/endomic trout s in snow-fed streams and other areas including establishment  of trout farm/hatchery in Govt. sector. Mahaseer – The Premier Sport Fish abound  in the State. This potential resource led to the holding of an International Angling Festival” consecutive for two years and the prospects for Tourism needs no further elaboration. Cold Water fishery – TROUT FISHERY both Brown and Rainbow Trout variety being cultured for stocking the cold water resources has gained popularity for providing recreation to the Defence personal posted in the forward areas of West Kameng&Tawang district and the State is therefore regarded as the Pioneering State in the field in Fish Breeding  – through Echo-hatcheries for the Indian major Carps(Rohu,Mrigal,Catla,Gonius) & Exotic Carps (Silver Carp & Grass Carp) at EmchiPapumare District and Lathao in Lohit District and Trout Breeding(Brown & Rainbow) in West Kameng&Tawang District are yet another milestone of achievement in the field of Fisheries

 

 

 

Arunachal Pradesh has rural base of economy as over seventy percent of population still live in about 3863 villages. Statistical Abstract of Arunachal Pradesh, 2008, shows that about 58.44 percent of population belongs to the category of cultivators, 3.85 percent agricultural labourers, 0.86 percent workers in household industries, and 36.85 percent other types of workers. Their main occupations are agriculture and animal husbandry. Tribal communities of the state follow both the shifting cultivation and sedentary agriculture.

Shifting Cultivation

In this form of agriculture practice first a forest land is selected. Then it is cleared and dried twigs are burnt on spot and thus land is prepared for sowing. After doing cultivation on such a plot for a few years it is left to regain fertility and the community moves to another plot. They return to the old plot after three years. In this way they shift from one plot to another. In the olden days when land was sufficiently available and there was no population pressure this system was practical to the tribal communities considering their life patterns and little advancement of modern scientific method of farming. At that time the cycle of one shifting was also between 10 and 20 years so there was no adverse effect of this practice on environment. The left over areas regained fertility and there was sufficient growth of vegetation on them in the meantime. So, ecological balance was maintained. Main crops cultivated in jhum lands include food grains, vegetables, root crops and fruit species.

Major Crops are

Rice

Rice is staple food of the people of this region as a whole. In Arunachal Pradesh production of rice is highest among all food crops. Five major districts in relation to rice production are Changlang , West Siang , East Siang , Lohit  and Papum Pare . Whereas in terms of production of all food crops during the same period five major districts were Changlang, West Siang, East Siang, Lohit, and Lower Dibang Valley.

Commercial Crops

Among the commercial crops oil seeds, potato, ginger and chilies are produced in all the districts of state in varying quantities.

Oilseeds

Lohit district produced the highest quantity of oil seeds  followed by Lower Dibang Valley , East Siang , Changlang  and West Siang .

Potato

During the same period the production of potato was highest in Lohit  followed by East Siang , Lower Subansiri , Tawang , and Lower Dibang Valley .

Ginger

Production of ginger was highest in Lower Dibang Valley , followed by Lohit , East Siang , Changlang  and Upper Subansiri .

Chilli

Production of chili was highest in Changlang , followed by Upper Subansiri , Lower Subansiri , Anjaw , and West Siang .

Among other commercial crops sugarcane was produced highest in East Siang (7280MT), followed by Changlang (4899MT), Papum Pare (2888MT), West Siang (2663MT), and Lower Subansiri (1450MT).

Turmeric was produced in highest quantity in Lower Dibang Valley (616MT), Lohit (387MT), East Siang (369MT), West Siang (234MT) and Papum Pare (116MT).

Horticulture Crops

Apart from food and commercial crops, horticultural crops are equally important. They are the backbone of rural economy of Arunachal Pradesh, as pointed out by the Federation of Industry and Commerce of North East Region (FINER). A good agro-climatic condition and topography of the state is most suitable for cultivation of various tropical, sub-tropical and temperate fruits like apple, orange, pineapple, vegetables, mushrooms, spices, aromatic and medicinal plants.

Apple

Arunachal Pradesh is emerging as a major apple-growing state in the north-east. It grows apple in 8,400 ha and produces 9,500 tonnes apples. Its productivity is 1.1 tonnes/ha, which is extremely low, and the major constraints are low-density plantation of inferior varieties, lack of pollination management, inadequate and imbalanced use of plant protection, irrigation and nutrient management practices and poor canopy.

Mandarin
It is a leading state for production of mandarin, but plantations continue to suffer due to die-back and low productivity. Low productivity is due to old orchards seedling stock, poor management of nutrients and water coupled with incidences of insect pests and diseases. Low pH of soil also attributes to low productivity.

Department of Agriculture

The Department of Agriculture, Govt of Arunachal Pradesh is initiating to step up production and productivity of crops with the following schemes under State Plan Program under 3 (Three) major Heads of development:

1. Crop Husbandry
   ii. Agriculture Research & Education
   iii. Agriculture Marketing & Quality Control

Crops Husbandry
Following programmes are covered under Crop Husbandry to enhance the food production and cash crops in the State:-

1. State Food Security Programme
   II. Integrated Nutrient Management (INM)
   III. Integrated Pest Management (IPM).
   IV. Seed Production Programme through Govt. Agriculture Farms
   V. Chief Minister’s Agricultural Mechanization Programme
   VI. Strengthening of HRD Institution & Agriculture Programme
   VII. Cash Crops Development Programme
   VIII. Major repairs and renovation of assets (Buildings)
   IX. Promotion of Agriculture
   X. Agriculture Employment Generation Programme
   XI. Up gradation of10 (Ten) Nos. Laboratories
   XII. Organizing Sustainable Mountain Development Summit- IV

Agricultural Research & Education
The Department seeks to provide adequate stress on research by reorganizing the existing structure and pooling the existing manpower to deal effectively aiming at generating research output for the extension functionaries. Efforts are also intended to take up Research Programme on improving the productivity and generating data that suggest steps required to minimize the ill effect of Jhumming. A documentary film on Paddy-cum-Fish-Culture is also proposed for wide publicity and brings awareness to the farmers in other Districts.

Education is also an Integral part of developing the human resources in the field of Agriculture. In this Programme in which students are proposed to be sent for higher studies leading to B. Sc. (Agri.) etc. The expenditure on their stipend/Book grants etc. are to be borne by the Department.

Agriculture Marketing & Quality Control
Over the years there has been a significant increase in the production of crops like Potato, Ginger, Mustard, Vegetable, Sugarcane, Chilly & Maize in the State. The farmers are now facing the new challenge for disposal of these commodities and are deprived of the remunerative prices. All these commodities are considered as surplus and providing appropriate market avenues to the farmers is the real challenge at present to the Department.

 

 

Given a highly complex relation spanning the demographic and socio-economic variables, it is difficult to work out the relationship in both ways. So, focus is kept narrow to show how the process of development in Arunachal Pradesh has produced the main demographic outcomes: changes in fertility, mortality and migration.

The main topics covered in this chapter are:

(1) size and density of population,

(2) distribution of population,

(3) composition of population,

(4) migration, and

(5) population growth.

Size and Density of Population

Arunachal Pradesh has a small population: only 13.84 lakh (according to 2011 census) which is 0.107 per cent of the country’s population of 1.23 billion. In North-east India (excluding Sikkim which has a population of 5.40 lakh) only Mizoram’s population (8.91 lakh) is smaller than Arunachal Pradesh’s. With a hilly and mountainous topography, the State has a very sparse settlement, so sparse that its density of population is lowest in the country. According to 2011 census, the population density in Arunachal Pradesh is only 17 people per sq km against the country’s 325.

With a high growth of population, the density has increased in the State over time but the expanding population has not spread evenly. It is the river valleys and urban areas which have got the highest concentration of population. The remote areas of the State remain more or less as thinly-populated as before. It may be pointed out that the first population census was conducted in the State in 1961. Prior to 1961, the administrative infrastructure was too inadequate to conduct census in the State. In the absence of census and other evidence it is not possible to quantify the State’s population prior to 1961.

Distribution of Population

Arunachal Pradesh has a highly uneven distribution of population. The plains which constitute only five per cent of the area of the State have a relatively dense settlement. We would discuss two aspects of distribution of population: inter-district and rural-urban.

Inter-district Distribution

Some districts of Arunachal Pradesh have large areas. As many as 10 districts of this State are larger in area than Goa, the smallest State in the country and five districts are bigger in area than Sikkim, the smallest State in North-east India. In terms of population among the 16 districts, Changlang is the largest and Dibang Valley the smallest. Kurung Kumey and Upper Siang have also a low density. There are eight districts with a density higher than the State’s average.

Rural-Urban Distribution

Urbanisation is relatively new in Arunachal Pradesh; prior to 1971 there was no urban population. In 1971 census, for the first time, four administrative centres were counted as urban. The population in these towns was 17 thousand forming 3.70 per cent of the State’s population of 4.68 lakh. The average population in these urban areas was about four thousand, so small that the settlements counted as urban were more like overgrown villages than towns. However, the tempo of urbanisation increased over time. During the 1970s the urban population grew at 13.96 per cent per annum. By 2001, there were 17 towns and 20.75 per cent of the population was urban. Papum Pare, the district in which the capital of the State is located, has the highest level of urbanisation, 50.85 per cent, and Upper Siang has no urbanisation at all.

Population Composition

Scheduled Tribes and General Category

The first category is scheduled tribes (ST) and the second is non-scheduled tribe (non-ST). We do not take into consideration another category, scheduled caste (SC) because this category constitute only 0.56 per cent of the State’s population. Moreover, they are not considered to be indigenous and hence, treated like the people of the general category. In 1961, the ST category formed the overwhelming majority of the population (88.67 per cent), and the nonST only 11.33 per cent. The relative size of the non-ST category, however, increased in subsequent years. In 1991, this category became as high as 36.34 per cent of the total; in the 1990s its relative size, however, declined, reaching 35.78 per cent of the population in 2001.

The non-tribal population in Arunachal Pradesh is not evenly distributed; their presence is more in the urban than in the rural areas. Kurung Kumey, a hilly district with no urban areas, has the lowest percentage of the non-tribal population. At the other end is Lohit, a district with extensive plains bordering the Brahmaputra valley of Assam, has the highest concentration of the non-tribal population (67.58).

Sex Ratio

The overall sex ratio of Arunachal Pradesh is not comparable with that of other states because of a large migration. As we have seen before, 35.78 per cent of the population in Arunachal Pradesh belongs to general category most of whom are either migrants from other states or descendants of the migrants. A look at the sex ratio of the general category gives us an impression of gender-bias in the migration.

In 1961, the migrants were largely males: sex ratio of the general category was only 296. Over the years the sex-bias in migration declined. The sex ratio of the general category increased to 723 in 2001. However, it is neither the overall sex ratio nor the sex ratio of the general category that represents the true gender composition; it is the sex ratio of the ST population that portrays the true picture. This is because of the ST people being more or less closed.

The ST sex ratio shows a clear declining trend from 1961 to 1991. However, it was more than 1000 in all censuses except in 1991 when it dropped to 998. Compared with the overall gender composition of the country, Arunachal Pradesh’s is much more favourable to the women. In 1961 the sex ratio of the ST population in the state was 1013 against the countrys 941. In 2001, ST sex ratio was 1003.

Literacy in Arunachal Pradesh

In the spread of education, Arunachal Pradesh occupies a unique position in the country. At the time of Independence in 1947, there were very little formal educational facilities. After 1947 there was a rapid expansion of the educational facilities. The first college in the State was established in 1964 and after 20 years a university came into being. Literacy spread rapidly in the State, given its very poor base.

In 2011, Arunachal Pradesh had a literacy rate of 65.38 per cent . The male literacy was 72.55 per cent in Arunachal Pradesh while female literacy stands at 57.70 %.

Migration

The implementation of the development programmes launched by the Government of India after Independence occasioned a growing stream of migration from the rest of the country. The forces of modernisation which swept the rest of the country did not touch Arunachal Pradesh. Most of the people were dependent on swidden cultivation (jhuming).

Nature of Inter-State Migration:

Immediately after Independence almost all government officials from the highest rank to the lowest came from outside to establish direct administration in an area which had seen only ‘indirect’ or ‘political’ administration without any public offices being located here. The local people accustomed to jhuming could not supply any labour power. The only way was to depend on migrants from the rest of the country. Given the nature of development work, most of the migrants were unskilled. But what is considered raw or unskilled labour in the rest of the country appeared highly skilled in Arunachal Pradesh. For example, an agricultural labourer is considered unskilled in the plains but in Arunachal Pradesh he became an ‘expert’ in wet-rice cultivation.

Population Growth

In Arunachal Pradesh population started growing after 1947. Prior to Independence, there was no modern hospital nor was there any modern industry in the State. A low-productive agriculture, the total absence of industrial activities outside the household, almost total illiteracy kept the pre-1947 Arunachal Pradesh in the same demographic regime as the rest of the country was prior to 1921. So the ‘great divide’ for Arunachal Pradesh can be taken to be 1947, after which its population took a path of high growth shaped by both natural increase and migration.

During 1961-2001, the population grew in the State at the average exponential rate of 2.98 per cent per annum compared with the national growth of 2.14 per cent. The ST population grew at the rate of 2.12 per cent while the non-ST grew at a much higher rate of 5.83 per cent. There was a high decadal variation in the growth rate.

In the 1970s the rate of growth fell markedly but in the 1980s a reversal took place. In the 1970s the fall in the overall growth was due to the sharp fall in the growth of the tribal population. In the 1960s the tribal population in the State grew at 2.13 per cent per annum but in the 1970s the rate declined to 1.78 per cent. Since the trajectory of the population growth shifted upwards after the launch of the development programmes and the consequent migration.

 

The main mode of transport in Arunachal Pradesh is done through roads.

Roads:

Arunachal Pradesh State Transport Services (or APSTS) is the state-owned road transport corporation. APSTS is running daily bus servicess from Itanagar to most district headquarters including Tezpur, Guwahati in Assam and Shillong in Meghalaya as well as Dimapur in Nagaland. As of 2007, every village has been connected by road thanks to funding provided by the central government. Every small town has its own bus station and daily bus services are available. All places are connected to Assam, which has increased trading activity. An additional National Highway is being constructed following the Stillwell Ledo Road, which connects Ledo in Assam to Jairampur in Arunachal. Work on the ambitious 2,400 km two-lane Trans-Arunachal Highway Project announced by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 31 January 2008 on his maiden visit to the state, was scheduled to be completed by 2015–16 but now due to political and social reasons it may take another decade.

In 2014, two major highways were proposed to be built in the state: East-West Industrial Corridor Highway, Arunachal Pradesh in the lower foot hills of the state and 2,000-kilometre-long Mago-Thingbu to VijaynagarArunachal Pradesh Frontier Highway along the McMahon Line, alignment map of which can be seen here and here.

In the below table we can see the major National Highways network in Arunachal Pradesh:

 

National Highway Length in Arunachal Pradesh
Sl. No.	NH No.	Route	Length (Km.)
1.	52	From Assam border-Pasighat-Dambuk-Roing-Paya-Tezu-Wakro- Namsai- upto Assam Border	310
2.	52A	From Assam border-Itanagar- upto Assam border	42
3.	153	From Assam border-Myanmar border (Still Well road)	40
4.	229	The highways starting from Tawang passing through Bomdila, Nechipu, Seppa, Sagalee, Ziro, Daporijo, Aalong and terminating at Pasighat in the State of Arunachal Pradesh	1090
5.	52B Ext.	Namchik, Changlang, Khonsa and Kanubari in the State of Arunachal Pradesh and terminating near Dibrugarh in the State of Assam, joining with approaches to Bogibeel bridge	450
6.	37 Ext.	The NH No. 37 is extended from its dead near Saikhowaghat in Assam to join NH 52 near Roing in Arunachal Pradesh	60

 

Under the SARDP-NE roads covered for improvement is shown in the below map:

Fig: Arunachal Pradesh Road Network

Also, steep slopes and sharp gradient in water flow of Brahmaputra river, water transport is not feasible. Transport in Arunachal Pradesh is very difficult since, the state resides in the Himalayan range. A lot of steps have been taken by center and state government in developing the modes of transport.

Air :

Itanagar Airport, a Greenfield project serving Itanagar is being planned at Holongi at a cost of Rs. 6.50 billion.The existing state owned Daporijo Airport, Ziro Airport, Along Airport, Tezu Airport and Pasighat Airport are small and are not in operation. The government has proposed to operationalise these airports.Before the state was connected by roads, these airstrips were originally used for the transportation of food.

Railways:

Due to its rough terrain and difficult topography Railways are not much developed. Arunachal Pradesh got its first railway line in late 2013 with the opening of the new link line from Harmuti on the main Rangpara North-Murkongselak railway line to Naharlagun(Near to state capital Itanagar).

 

The construction of the 33 kilometre1,676 mmbroad gauge railway line was completed in 2012, and the link became operational after the gauge conversion of the main line under Project Unigauge. The state capital Itanagar was added to the Indian railway map on 12 April 2014 via the newly built 20 kilometreHarmuti-Naharlagun railway line, when a train from Dekargaon in Assam reached Naharlagun railway station, 10 kilometres from the centre of Itanagar, a total distance of 181 kilometres.On 20 February 2015 the first through train was run from New Delhi to Naharlagun, flagged off from the capital by the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi. India plans to eventually extend the railway to Tawang, near the border with China.

 

 

The state is located in the extreme Northeastern corner of the country. It is situated between latitude 26° 30′ N and 29° 30 ‘ N and longitude 91° 30′ E and 97° 30’ E. It shares its border with the neighboring countries of Bhutan in the West, China (Tibet) in the North and Northeast, Myanmar in the East and Southeast and the Indian states of Assam and Nagaland in the South.  Arunachal Pradesh is generally a hilly region.

The elevation of the hills ranges from 60 meters to over 7300 meters (GORICHEN peak in West Kameng). The territory falls in the outer Himalayas and Patkoi Ranges. It is endowed with wide topographical variations, vegetations and wild life along the greater part of the length of the territory the characteristics Siwalik type formation of Himalayan Mountains is native.

The definition of Siwalik ranges loses its typical character at the point of the valley head and is replaced by series of low hills with easier slopes. These hills gradually merge into the Patkoi hill ranges which separate India & Burma. The general tendency of the hills is found sloping towards the plains of Assam. These hill ridges of Arunachal Pradesh are situated in a very haphazard manner.

As soon as one ridge ends, the other starts either in opposite direction or parallel. At these intervals the wide and narrow valleys come into existence. Because of these hill ridges and the valleys, the surface of Arunachal Pradesh is found variegated almost everywhere which also results into numerous geographical isolation of places caused by various rivers and streams traversing the region and depositing the flowing detritus enroute in valley and again at the foothills

Topography

Topography wise Arunachal Pradesh has been divided into 4 distinct physiographical divisions:

1. The Himalayan Ranges
2. The Mishmi Hills
3. The Naga-Patkoi Ranges and
4. The Brahmaputra Plains

Arunachal Pradesh is the eastern stretch of the Himalayas and all the 3 sections of the Himalayas are represented here . Every division has a different geology and tectonic history

From the Brahmaputra Plains at an average elevation of 100m, the Himalayas attain an elevation of 7089m. The Himalayas can be further sub-divided into physio-tectonic Zones:

(i) The sub-Himalayan zone rising abruptly from the Brahmaputra Plains along a tectonic plane-the Foot Hill Fault. It is about 10 -20 km wide but narrows down to 1 -2 km in the Dibang valley.

(ii) The lesser or Lower Himalayas: Elevation 2500-4000 m and 80-90 km wide. Take a syntaxial bend towards SE to abut against Mishmi Hills. Its southern limit is defined by the Main Boundary Fault/Thrust.

(iii) The Greater or Higher Himalayas. A zone of very high relief with heights greater than 6000m having precipitous slopes and deep gorges. This zone is generally devoid of vegetation. Its southern limits are defined by the Main Central Thrust.

(iv) Trans-Himalayan Tibetan or the Thethyan zone: It is the northernmost zone which is about 30-40 km wide and of low relief (Elevation 3000 – 6000m). All important Passes are located in this zone .

The Eastern Himalayas that cover 18,518 sq. km area of East and West Siang districts is almost wholly a rugged mountainous terrain extending over the central region of Arunachal Pradesh. The region has been described as ‘an intricate labyrinth of precipitous, rocky and high hills and mountains, with beautiful green valley’s drained by innumerable rivulets and mighty rivers cascading down from upper elevations. The tangle of hills and mountains throwing a series of spurs and towering to majestic heights of eternal snow is the most imposing topographic feature of Siang.

 

 

The mineral wealth of the State is quite impressive with a large number of metallic and non metallic mineral occurrences. The mineral wealth includes limestone, dolomite, graphite, pyrite, lead, zinc, coal, oil & natural gas, etc. There are evidences of Gold extraction from the alluvium at the mouth of the SubansiriRiver.Distribution of mineral is explained below

 

Coal:

It occurs at two stratigraphic levels under different tectonic setting, one is Tertiary in age and the other is Gondwana. Unlike the Peninsular counterpart, the resources of coal in Arunachal are insignificant in the Gondwana Formations whereas sizeable resources occur in the Tertiary .

The bulk of the coal resources in Arunachal is located in the Namchik-Namphuk coalfield in Changlang district spread over an area of 35.5 km2, which is supposed to be the eastern extension of the adjacent Makum Coalfield.

Oil and Natural gas:

It is one of the most valuable resources and is available in Arunachal in Changlang district, particularly in Kumchai, Diyun and Kharsang area. Of these, the Kharsang Oilfield is supposed to be the continuation of the Digboi Oilfield. In addition, crude oil seepage is known since long in the fractured shale of Disang Formation near Nampong and in the Surma Group near Lungchong.

Dolomite:

Deposits of limestone/dolomite are found in different stratigraphic settings in different places, such as at Tidding in Lohit district; near Hunli in Dibang Valley district; near Pangin in East Siang district; and at Menga in Upper Subansiri district; and at Jamiri and Rupa in West Kamen district. The dolomite can be utilized as flux in steel industry, blast furnace, chemical industry and in agriculture. Similarly, the limestone can also be utilized in cement and chemical industries, and also could be used for lime burning and as chips in building material. It is worth mentioning here that a cement factory was started at Tezu in Lohit district to utilize the rich deposits of limestone at Tidding. This factory had a capacity of 30 tones/ day and started its commercial production in 1985, but it was closed down within a short period. A thorough investigation may indicate the reasons about the closure of the factory, which otherwise could generate a good revenue as the raw material is available in plenty.

Graphite:

It is associated with the mica schist and sericite quartzite and occurs in form of thin bands and lensoid bodies particularly in the rocks of Bomdila and Se La groups. About 50 m thick band of graphite is located near Did village on Zorum-Palin road and near Bopi on Tamen-Raga-Daporijo road in Lower Subansiri district. Other than these, some scanty deposits have also been observed associated with the chlorite schist near Abdullah Nala on Kimin-Ziro road, and a 70 m thick band of graphite schist containing flaky graphite has been located near Taliha in Upper Subansiri district

 

Lead and Zinc:

Some lead and zinc occurrences are reported from Shergaon area in West Kameng district. The reserves are yet to be estimated in the area, however, from the visual estimation and the analytical results a 20 m thick zone having 3-5% lead and zinc content has been inferred by the Geological Survey of India near Amritganga.

Ferro-Silicon Minerals:

 

The Ferro-silicon grade quartzite deposit is located in an area of about 25 km north of Kalaktang village of West Kameng district.

Clay

Small pockets of clay having moderate to good plasticity are associated with Siwalik sandstone, exposed in the foothill belt bordering the Brahmaputra Flood plain. A small reserve of 80,000 tones has been estimated in East Kamengdistrict.Though with the limited extent, the economic viability of the clay is to be ascertained, however, it may be suitable for use as pozzolamic material.

Other potential resources in Arunachal include mineral water and hot water sulphurous springs, which have been disseminated at number of places.

Quartzite :

Significant deposits of quartzite are also found at several stratigraphic horizons almost in all the main road sections of Arunachal. Of these significant exposures, which need attention for exploitation, are between Ziro-Tamen, Daporijo-Taliha, Dali-Basar, Bame-Along, Bame-Daporijo, Kaying-Tato, Pangin-Boleng, Roing-Myodia Pass, and Tezu-Tidding. Other than these, there are many other areas that need to be surveyed to locate the quartzite deposits of viable economic importance.

Granite/Granite Gneiss :

It is available in different stratigraphic levels in almost all the districts, except Changlang and Tirap. However, potential deposits viable for such purposes are exposed along Tenga-Bomdila, Dirang-Se La, around Tamen and Daporijo.

 

In addition, there a number of other economic minerals such as gold, cobalt, nickel, copper, magnetite-hematite (iron ore) and other platinoid group of metals, which are known to occur in the State. Although some scanty reports are available, it needs a thorough investigation for their economic viability.

Building material:

 

The State has plenty of the building material in form of marble, granite, volcanic rocks, such as gabbro, diorite, basalt, etc., quartzite, slate, etc. that may be utilized for making tiles and mosaic chips, which are in demand in modern urbanization. In addition, sand, concrete, boulders, etc., are also present, which are already being used and giving a good revenue to the State.

The State has sand, concrete, gravel, etc., in sufficient quantity. They are of ubiquitous nature and can be made use in local areas. The stone crushing industry may be another good opportunity of utilization of a vast quantity of boulders in the State. With the increase in the density of transportation, the road network is also going to be improved, as such concrete of uniform shape and size is required which can be obtained by crushing the boulders.